Though it’s far less bloody than the first two, Park Chan Wook’s Sympathy for Lady Vengeance should be held in just as high regard. It outclasses Tarantino’s Kill Bill as a revenge story with far deeper turmoil.
Filmed in an almost grotesque fairytale manner, it is about the struggle between a saintly pale faced damsel in distress and a cunning witch donned in red eye make-up and classy heels. Stranger yet, is that both characters are one and the same - Ms Geum Ja (Lee Young-Ae) who seeks vengeance for crimes committed against her.
This film has the right blend of humour, love, family elements yet maintains an incredibly intense dark tone throughout. The surreal shots, the use of music and the progression of the story are nearly flawless.
I would happily use the words 'compelling' 'heart wrenching' and 'beautiful' to describe Park Chan Wook’s Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. However, to this description you must also add 'chilling' and 'horrifically sinister' to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of this film. Lady Vengeance provides the audiences with intense off-camera violence and in this film it is the aftermath of the violence that is most effective. It’s not the violence that bothers the viewer but the situation in which it arises.
This offering by this amazing director is not for those who can only stomach physical brutality but that of the emotional type, thus making opinions surrounding this film as divisive as its predecessors. Like most pieces of art, it really depends on one’s taste. But one thing is for sure; whether you’re swayed by the deeper emotional content or the hard to ignore visual elements, there is at least one thing you’ll love about this film.
Or if not, you won’t be able to forget it for a variety of reasons.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It´s Girl Power time! Outrageous, luminous angelic + consistently deadly, too. Pitch-black humour.
"Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" or in the original "Lovely Geum-ja" is grossly funny, bitterly satirical, with a huge portion of pitch-black, bone-dry, unpredictable humor. The KMovie playfully juggles with details that seem to have sprung from a film noir and, above all, deliberately wants to irritate with the aestheticizing stylization of bloodthirsty revenge.Geum-ja is an Angel of revenge in the most literal sense. Luminous, angelic in her kindness, yet consistently deadly when it comes to her revenge mission. This makes the KMovie a paradoxical, incomparable experience: bizarre, absurd, dark and yet pointedly funny.
It´s is Girl power time! Patriarchy is in the pillory, regarding various offenses and arrogance of most of the male characters. Geum-ja (convincing to the point: Lee Young-ae) offers the entire program of associations with the feminine in its blatant contradictions: saint, whore, witch, as well as mother, lover, friend. Guilty in naive innocence. Outrageous. Diabolical. Sovereign. Powerful. Decided. Efficient. Exhilarated. Significantly, a remix of Vivaldi's "Ah ch'infelice semper" swings the baton in the background.
Storytelling is always close to Geum-ja. Not too much, just as much as is needed, is given to the audience. A serious, deeply meaningful off-screen narrator closes the gaps. As I said, the humor is pitch-black.
By the way, the KMovie (which has also received many international awards) is the third part of a revenge trilogy by director Park Chan-wook, which includes "Oldboy", that is considered one of the most influential films of contemporary South Korean cinema.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Admittedly, it's been a while since I watched Sympathy for Lady Vengeance but I must admit, it's my least favorite out of the Vengeance series.I felt the other Vengeance series were far more well thought out and far more emotionally stifling than this one. Furthermore, the fantastical element of this particular series was in some ways daunting yet also not my cup of tea as it made the film not settle as darkly for me as it could have.
Also, unlike, the other two movies, it instilled a burning curiosity in me but did not deliver. In the end, the focus was so much on Lee Young Ae's character and none on the villain rendering me a little disinterested. When it came to the other two movies, the villains final revelation really helped shape the climax of the movie and it's why these movies stuck with us. However, in this case, the villain remains a shadowy figure that we never truly hear from. Admittedly, this movie is a narrative so it hinders any other perspective other than the narrators.
As this is a narrative, you may find it quite tedious. It begins with Lee Young Ae's character being charged with the murder of a young boy. She's beautiful and not your typical murderer hence you now start to wonder, did she really do it? This is a little reminiscent of old boy in that the perspective is one where everything leads to a boiling point as you slowly unravel the story. Anything more would be a spoiler.
Ultimately though, you have a good guy and a bad guy and nothing quite philosophically daunting as the other two movies. Furthermore, different sub plots distract from the meat of the plot. Halfway through, you may actually forget about the revenge story as different sub plots vie for your attention. Furthermore, in typical Park Chan Wook fashion, there will be some dragging before you get to the final destination which in typical PCW fashion will also include more dragging. Overall, it's a good film, a little disjointed and fantastical for my tastes but not a bad ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
What did I even watch?
I don't know what I expected when I watched this but I'm very disappointed. It even took me 3 days to finish this movie 'cause I ain't feel like watching it but somehow I know I need to finish it to move on.There's a lot to unpack here. The story overall is messy. It kind of makes sense but not the most ideal way to present a story. When I read the plot I thought there was more to it but it was everything. Nothing more, nothing less. No twists and turns. Just the female lead getting her revenge. The end.
The only thing that I somewhat like about this movie is the classical music that was on the background. It's kind of relaxing after getting pissed by the movie itself.
Not something that I would really recommend to anyone. I was totally click-baited on Tiktok. Although, I should say if you want to watch it why not. Others seems to like it just fine. But definitely this is not my cup of tea.
Was this review helpful to you?
It has great cast with great acting skills that will made you never skip any part, but maybe rewind it. The story made me wonder what was really happen to the lead character.
Lee Young-Ae as the lead character is such a surprised to me because she is a perfect actress to play this character. The character that is a beauty with an angelic face has to enter jail for something she didn’t do. So she made a plan to take revenge to a kidnapper who makes her life just like that now.
The music? Usually i don’t really realize the music in a movie, but the music in this movie is just awesome. It’s what made the movie complete.
And ofcourse i really like to rewatch it again someday because i already watch for the three times before i write this review.
Be careful not to watch it with your family!!! It has a lot of blood, some exposure and sex scene.
If you like and want to watch some bloody thirsty suspense movie this is the one you looking for.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Freezing and terrifying.
Lady Vengeance appears at first sight as a strong emotional drama, seemingly almost a pleasant film. But if you just scratch the surface a little with your fingernail, you'll soon discover a print mood so unsettling you can almost touch it.For over 13 years, Geum-Ja has been imprisoned. The reason is that at the age of 19 she pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of a 5-year-old boy. But the confession was not the whole truth and a burning desire for revenge now hangs in the air.
Starring Lee Young-ae performs pure magic sweetly. Her face is at times so incredibly innocent - Completely glowing with warmth and good intentions, then, in the blink of an eye, turns to a harsh emptiness, tart and defiant anger and contemptuous nonchalance.
Every frame in Lady Vengance is so well thought out that it amazes you. Small surreal details inserted with a sure hand reinforce the impression that it is a unique film. Geum-Ja's story moves easily and smoothly between flashbacks and the present, while the fates of her fellow prisoners are inserted like puzzle pieces into her detailed revenge plan. Through an incredible manipulation, Geum-Ja connects more and more people in the prison - Each one fulfills a purpose and is used just as obviously. In the prison, people begin to discern the two faces of our Lady Vengeance, as she is called Geum-Ja the Kindhearted and Geum-Ja the Witch. One expressed with warmth - The other with an involuntary respect. Because for 13 years she has successively won over, exploited and helped all the people she coldly expects to need in the future and wrapped them around her fingers. Because vengeful women banded together are capable of anything.
As a film, the action moves continuously, which helps to keep the tension razor sharp. Although it is calm and serene, there is a constant awareness that it is an apparent calm that heralds a violent storm and the air crackles more and more with charged electricity. With simple means at hand, one becomes disgusted, saddened, imprisoned, All the while one is unsure which of the faces Geum-Ja shows is her true self - Or if she even knows it herself.
What makes Lady Vengance such a remarkable film? Because it is probably not a film that suits everyone. You mustn't be too restless for this movie, you mustn't expect classy action and choreographed fights, you mustn't expect a fast pace.
The contrast is most dazzling when all the slow, beautiful stillness is set against the raw and brutality of revenge. Nevertheless, if you have seen director Park Chan-Wok's previous films Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy, you risk being disappointed. Lady Vengance puts an end to the director's revenge trilogy and is light years from the previous ones. It is characterized by incredibly less violence and at the same time manages to create a greater discomfort than the other films. It is closer to the Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters because it creeps up on you like cold ridges along the spine.
The violence we see has nothing hollywoodized about it, there is no high tech Matrix aesthetic here, it is close, harsh and leaves most to our own imagination. When a group of middle-aged people discuss weapons, draw lots for turn order, and protect their clothes from blood splatters, logical reasoning about the execution of revenge is one of the scariest things I've seen in a very long time.
If revenge is best served cold, then Lady Vengeance is perfection. Frosted so cold you get goosebumps just being near it. When you take it in, it's like swigging a whiskey on the rocks.
Was this review helpful to you?
Old school revenge
This was the most camp Korean movie I've ever seen. So exaggerated, so melo, so in your face. I laughed way too much at just how perfectly done it was. Now you may ask why only six stars? Because the cinematography is so dated it looks like a 1970s movie even though it was filmed in 2005 and there just wasn't any need for it to look that bad. In any event, it was quite interesting.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Was this review helpful to you?
THE WEAKEST LINK IN THE VENGEANCE TRILOGY
I have to admit that this is probably my least favorite movie out of the Vengeance trilogy. The most prominent weakness this movie has is its story which is just not as impactful as the previous ones. If we just look at it as a standalone movie and not as part of a trilogy, it is still not a great movie and comes along the definition of just ok enough.The second problem I have with this movie is its conclusion. When you've watched the other two movies in this trilogy, you kind of expect the ending to be unsatisfactory and gritty. But it just kind of changed that, it tried to make the ending satisfactory and didn't even succeed at that.
Final Verdict: I personally don't urge you to watch this. But if you've decided to watch this, I can only guarantee that it won't be completely bad.
Was this review helpful to you?
I love this trilogy and even though I personally didn't like this one as much as I wanted to it still is a solid film that you need to watch.
I love how this whole trilogy can get pretty dark and this one the main lead Lee Yong Ae was just perfect!!!
I loved how she doesn't try to be a 'good ' girl that is by other's definition of the word.
Her entire personality is defined by that scene where she asks the much younger Kim Shi Hoo's before screwing him "are you the type of guy who gets turned off when a girl does this kind of thing ?" And only when the boy vehemently responds no does she proceed lol one of my favorite scenes!
Very poetic and just beautiful
Was this review helpful to you?
This film stars Lee Yeong-ae in the lead role, who has given a stunning and highly impressive performance. Choi Min-sik too has impressed with his stellar act in a somewhat small role. The cameo of Song Kang-ho really proved to be a treat for me as I'm a big fan of him. Performance wise, this could be the best film of the trilogy. Execution wise, it is a good but comparatively the weakest film in the trilogy.
LADY VENGEANCE is neither action packed nor even thrilling. There are some violent sequences which have been neatly executed but aren't enough to guarantee a full-fledged, intense entertainment which the first two movies provided. SYMPATHY FOR MR VENGEANCE had me completely glued due to its dramatic yet thrilling narrative which was also supported by some well choreographed action scenes. Same applies to OLDBOY, which features the best action sequences and twists in the trilogy. LADY VENGEANCE doesn't really have anything else to boast except a decent screenplay and performances.
Technically, the film is alright. Editing is not that impressive because apart from the basic revenge plot, the subplots seem to hinder the film's pace and due to this, I couldn't finish the film in one viewing. The second half is good and goes on to entertain till the very end. The first half is also quite good but some flashbacks serve as speedbreakers.
Still as a whole, LADY VENGEANCE is a decent crime drama which can be watched if you have seen the first two movies and want to further explore Park's stylistic writing and direction. But if you haven't seen the first two films and are thinking which one to watch first, then choose any of the first two since this isn't the film to start the trilogy with.
Was this review helpful to you?
So trippy yet everything makes sense!
At first everything was confusing but when you watch and analyze everything it's so satisfying to the feels. Geumja may seem insane for what she's imagining and planning or even saying but I bet you she's one of the coolest and wisest characters I've seen. And her love for Jenny is the best thing ever, personally my most favourite scene was the translating part from Geumja to Mr. Baek. ATONEMENT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?Although how they punished Mr. Baek wasn't so satisfying and brutal unlike in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, I guess he's better of dead.
Was this review helpful to you?
Fade to Black version
I recognize this movie’s faults but it left such a strong impression on me that I had to rewatch it the next day before writing this review. I highly recommend watching it a second time if you’re feeling lukewarm after a first watch.Hits the right notes for me with the dark humor, deliberate pace, mesmerizing, chilling yet oddly engaging lead performance, personal stakes, and splendid editing through multiple time periods. A second viewing brings to light a lot of hidden details in the early parts of the movie that only matter later, details which you can easily miss the first time around.
I’m seeing these revenge films all out of order but I don’t think it really matters. It’s mostly a fabricated trilogy anyway.
I really like intelligent but damaged characters with a plan, an infallible one perhaps, who are dead set on a mission backed by well defined motivations. I also like how this movie doesn’t glorify violence, and also doesn’t carry a big reveal or anything of the sort.
I think from a technical and stylistic standpoint this is quite similar to Oldboy, but this one worked much better on a personal level for me. The two movies are interestingly similar in a way: in Oldboy, we follow the protagonist against the backdrop of a villain with a vicious plan years in the making. In this movie, it’s flipped around on its head — we follow the protagonist with a vicious plan years in the making. I much prefer this iteration.
Regardless, I need to rewatch Oldboy before I make a final stand on this. I can easily see this movie going up another notch on rewatch a few years down the line.
The way I see it is… this movie is quite simply a striking work of art.
Was this review helpful to you?
